On: A global movement to ban urban billboards

[bryanlarsen]

A ban is pretty harsh, how about taxing them heavily enough that they almost disappear? $1MM/billboard/year might be about right.

The reason people are asking for a ban of billboards is that they impose heavy externalities: they're distracting, ugly, et cetera. Capture those externalities rather than ban them.

[coldtea → bryanlarsen]

So only the ultra-rich can advertise through them?

[bryanlarsen → coldtea]

99% of billboards are commercial in nature, and are quite expensive even before heavy taxation.

Non-commercial speech is much better served by a human standing by the side of the road holding a placard.

[edgyswingset → coldtea]

Yeah, if we're to be allowing advertising like this then at least smaller businesses should be able to capitalize on it.

[drdeca → coldtea]

what about a tax of incometimenumber * k ? (Oh wait, what does it mean to talk about a company or collective's income? What if you pay someone else to pay for the billboard? ok nevermind this is probably a terrible idea.)

[megablast → coldtea]

Ha, as opposed to all the poor people using them now, to talk about what they had for lunch?

[toomuchtodo → bryanlarsen]

That's dangerously close to Citizen's United (with unlimited money buying "speech"). No, I prefer an outright ban to an economic hack.

[ams6110 → bryanlarsen]

The externalities you cite are not anything that causes a financial burden on society. Taxing them to recoup costs would be without basis.

[rewqfdsa → ams6110]

Why do you value attention at $0?